Trial by Fire, Chapter 18: New Abilities as the Plot Demands

(If you’re reading the original edition, this is Chapter 16.)

While Adriane’s fighting the Sorceress and Kara’s off in realms that aren’t Aldenmor, Emily, Ozzie, and Zach are trying to save the trapped mistwolves. Emily casts Heal, and immediately realizes that she got new abilities after saving those irradiated elves earlier. She now has an immunity to radiation poisoning, and can cast Protection from Radiation. Wow, ain’t that convenient. So Emily casts her new spell, but a strong wave of magic (the one Kara summoned a few chapters back) hits the crystals, causing them to crack. Emily tells Zach to destroy the crystals — that way, the mistwolves will be free, and Emily can cast Heal on them. Zach fires a few Magic Missiles, thus freeing the wolves. Yay.

Meanwhile, back in the Sorceress’ lair, Adriane’s still fighting her boss battle. The Sorceress senses a disturbance in the crystal chamber, and realizes that her crystals were destroyed. She then tells Adriane, “Nice job breaking it, heroine.” You see, breaking the crystals released Black Fire, which — as we all know — causes magical radiation poisoning.

And then a portal opens in the lair, and everyone’s favorite manticore shows up. Except something’s a little off with this manticore … it has a flock of dragonflies circling around its head. The Sorceress commands the manticore to beat the stuffing out of Adriane, but the manticore refuses and attacks the Sorceress instead.

Soon Adriane notices that Kara is the manticore — come on, it has dragonflies and speaks in Kara’s voice — and rejoins the fight. Adriane rolls a 20 and punches the Sorceress into the portal Kara came through, thus trapping her in the Otherworlds for the time being.

Of course, we know that the Sorceress will probably return as a more powerful and annoying boss later. But the party doesn’t know that. Instead, they rejoice, because they finally defeated the main antagonist. Yay.

Their celebration is cut short, though: Emily sends the party a psychic SOS. Oh noes.